From picking up their ‘Desire’ LP in some fool’s bargain bin to seeing them rock like a bastard in a cramped upstairs venue in a town I used to live in, Manifesto Jukebox have been a gift, through and through. Not so long ago I managed to catch them someplace else, and was floored by the immense sound a slight changearound and extra guitar had given them. In fact, if I grn hard enough I can still hear the ringing in my ears.
With this fond memory in place I was eager to hear what I believed to be a handful of new songs by these fine young Finns, so it was with mild disappointment to learn that they weren’t in fact new at all. Ack. The first four tracks are lifted from a 7″ put out back in ’99 that I was too thick to buy from AWA before they gave up the ghost. They’re rougher and simpler than anything I’ve heard since, still with the Fuel/Hüsker Dü sound going on, but not yet with a stellar grip on their art. Two songs are almost great, two are just okay. But heck, I can live with that. The other two songs appeared on a split 7″ with the tremendous I Excuse, and I have an inkling that I actually reviewed that thing however long back. These songs are more along the lines of where things are currently at. Using that same rugged, melodic hardcore mould but this time around nailing it just about perfectly – better structured, more frenetic and with huge, ringing melodies that refuse to be ignored. Solid all round, and if this band were on No Idea, you kids would be lining up to grab a piece of the action. Tsk!